Doujin store DLsite temporarily suspends sales of AI-generated content

DLsite, an online store for digital doujin content, has announced that it is temporarily suspending sales of AI-generated works. The categories of content that this suspension applies to are Manga, CG + Illustrations, Video, and Creator Assets. Games and Novels will not be affected. Essentially, any works for which the main content was created using AI will be suspended from sale, while works that use AI in a limited fashion will still be available to purchase as usual.

In February, DLsite established criteria that AI-generated works must abide by and also implemented new tags that could be used to filter AI-generated content from search results. However, this new announcement notes that the development of these guidelines and policies is not able to keep up with the rapid advancements in AI image generation technology. After considering the impact that it would have on creators if the sales of AI-generated works were left in their current state, the decision was made to temporarily halt sales of such content.

Furthermore, DLsite’s owner, EISYS, announced that restrictions were being placed on the posting of AI-generated content to the company’s own creator support service, Ci-en. Creators will be temporarily prohibited from posting AI-generated content in the Manga, CG, Illustration, Creator Assets, and Video categories. Just like with DLsite, the suspension applies to works that are mainly created using AI technology. Creators are also prohibited from posting works that direct users to other sites where AI-generated content can be viewed. Any creators who violate these restrictions will have their accounts suspended.

These countermeasures are only temporary, and both DLsite and Ci-en stated that they intend to revise their guidelines and policies in accordance with changes in AI image generation technology and the surrounding community.

Digital content sites continue to face the issues that are presented by AI-generated works. Only a few days ago, pixiv released an announcement on new measures that it was implementing to address a number of problems, such as posting of copycat works and unauthorized aggregation of content. pixiv FANBOX also announced that it would temporarily prohibit AI-generated works (related article).

DLsite and Ci-en took actions of their own shortly after this, though it was really only a matter of time until something was done, as all of these sites are faced with an overabundance of AI-generated content. It will be interesting to keep an eye on how each site continues to alter their approach to this matter in the future. 

Written by. Marco Farinaccia based on an unpublished Japanese article